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Zero Days

I went to a screening at the Walker, which made me feel very cool and smart. I should try to explain what it’s about, but that’s really hard. The reason why this documentary matters is because it’s tackling a subject that’s mysterious and hard to explain. It starts with the Stuxnet virus. It was this hugely complicated piece of code that must have been created by a nation state. Which, and what it was meant to do, is the central question the documentary is trying to answer.

It’s all shrouded in secrecy, but what they seem to uncover is that it was created by American and Israeli intelligence agencies working together, with the purpose of sabotaging Iranian nuclear facilities. That’s absolutely terrifying, and would be a huge deal, but it is all very very hush hush.

It was a good reminder that the US Government is mostly evil. With all of the election coverage politics have been divided as better vs worse, overlooking that even with a blue president the US Government is still basically evil. Slightly less evil, definitely more polite, but still not an institution to trust or believe in. This policy of cyber warfare started under the Bush administration, but Obama continued it.

It’s a really exciting documentary. It feels like a techno-thriller. It needs to explain complicated computer shit, and even more tangled international politics, but manages to be clear and compelling.

An actor was brought in a digitalized to give voice to a number of different sources that couldn’t speak on camera to protect their anonymity. Giving a face and a voice to these revelations was a cany move. It’s humanizing, and makes for a more compelling movie. I’m not entirely sure what I think about this move as journalism, but it’s an excellent cinematic choice.

It’s an excellent movie raising important questions about the reality and future of cyber warfare. This is a hugely dangerous and important subject that the government is not discussing openly. After watching Zero Days I feel like a more informed citizen. That it was a really excellent piece of cinema is just a bonus. Whenever important information can be wrapped in such an excellent piece of filmmaking it’s a treat.